EIGHTEEN
Lisa
After a night of restless sleeping, with only Ryan’s kisses on her mind, Lisa was in a daze most of that morning as she worked diligently on translations.
Not getting enough sleep made it hard to be productive, so she had to rely on her best buddy, coffee, to get her going.
Who the heck could have slept after having the life kissed out of her by the sexiest biker? She was sure she was still floating somewhere near Mars, and each time she let herself think about those epic kisses that had lasted forever, she felt the tug of desire low in her belly.
Ryan’s attractiveness was undeniable.
He was the epitome of sin and seduction, packaged with a swagger.
There was no health warning label for his kind—but her heart responded with hard, excited gallops.
The way he’d walked into her house and just kissed her, it was a page out of her fantasies, and the effects of last night were still playing out on her body as she finally closed the computer and pushed away from her work desk. She was sore and stiff – from work, nothing else.
The ping of her phone made Lisa almost vault to the ceiling, anticipating more texts from Ryan. He’d messaged good morning hours ago.
But it was the girls’ group chat, with Scarlett inviting everyone to the Diablos’ clubhouse for a coffee afternoon.
She grabbed her purse and keys but stopped dead on the doorstep when she saw her car. Now vandalized. Shock had Lisa’s feet hurrying down the path, seeing every window smashed, the wing mirrors snapped off, and graffiti painted over every inch of bodywork.
“What the hell?” she exclaimed, walking around to see that the other side was just as bad.
A cop didn’t show up for over an hour to get the info and give her a crime number for the insurance. Other than that, he said it was probably local kids having fun.
Little delinquents needed to learn to have fun on playgrounds like she used to.
Irritated that her day was derailed, she exhaled, blowing the hair off her forehead, and she called Scarlett to let her know she might have to cancel.
“My car has been vandalized outside my house.”
“What? That’s awful. When did that happen?”
Ryan came to her house after eleven and left at around one a.m., and her car was fine then. It was now after lunch.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve just got off the phone with the insurance; now I need to find somewhere to fix it.”
“Hold up a second, Lise.” She heard Scarlett call out to someone called Price. Then she got back on the line. “One of our prospects will come with a pickup truck and bring it to the garage.”
She hadn’t considered the Diablos auto shop, yet a wave of relief washed over her.
Lisa waited on the steps of her house, scrolling through her phone to calm down, when she heard a heavy truck coming down the street. But she hadn’t expected the man behind it on his motorcycle.
Lisa’s stomach dropped when she saw Ryan hop off his bike like a soldier. His hair was wet and flat under the helmet when he tugged it off, as if he’d just finished showering, he caught eyes with her only briefly before he walked over to her car.
“What in the actual fuck.” He swore, growling. “Who the fuck would do this? It’s wrecked.”
“Every window, boss.” Who Lisa presumed was Price said, “Even the tires have been slashed. Do you have enemies, babe?”
“Don’t call her babe.” Warned Splice in a hot growl, without turning around. He had his hands on his trim waist, glaring at the car.
“I don’t know who could have done it.” She relayed everything she’d told the police officer.
“Were any other cars messed with on the street?” he asked, and Lisa nearly shivered at how dark his tone sounded.
“I don’t think so.”
“Key fob, sweetheart.” He gestured with an outstretched hand, and Lisa dropped it into his palm. He tossed it to Price. “Hook it up, take it back to the garage, put it in a free bay.”
“Will do.”
“Thank you,” she told Price, who only smiled and went about hooking her car to the pickup truck.
That was when Ryan turned back around, and she nearly flatlined right there in her front yard when he stalked over and took hold of her upper arms.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just baffled. Nothing like this has happened since I moved in; this is a quiet neighborhood.”
“No one knocked to let you know?”
“I don’t know. But I’ve been working with headphones all morning; I wouldn’t have heard anyone knocking. Are you sure the garage has time to fit me in? I can take it to another place, Ryan.”
He dropped his head and came into her personal space, their noses almost brushing. Lisa sucked in a breath at his proximity, smelling his fresh skin. He might look fierce, but he also looked adorable with his hair floppy over his forehead.
“You’re not taking it anywhere else. I got it.”
“Okay, thank you. I was supposed to be going to your club for the first time. Scarlett invited me, but then I came out to see this, so I’m late.”
Something like flames passed through Ryan’s eyes, and when he touched the top of her arm this time, she trembled at the controlled hold. “I’ll take you there.”
The truck had driven off, leaving only his bike. She eyed it warily.
“On that? After what you told me the other day about riding on the back?”
The smirking man replaced the angry one of only a moment ago.
“Come riding with me, sweetheart.”
Lisa didn’t have a good enough argument to refuse. Primarily because she was dying to know what it was like. She quickly changed into jeans and a warmer jacket, wearing a long strap purse across her body, and followed Ryan’s instructions to climb onto the seat.
“You won’t go too fast, will you?”
He was busy clipping his half-helmet onto her head. He tapped the tip of Lisa’s nose.
“Trust me.”
* * *
It wasn’t quite a life-changing experience, but Lisa’s lungs felt fully inflated by the time the bike slowed down inside the Diablos’ massive compound some minutes later. She wished the ride had lasted longer, if only so she could secretly enjoy holding onto Ryan’s waist tightly.
“How was it?” Ryan asked her after climbing off the bike, unhooking the helmet from her chin.
“I think I need to learn how to drive one. It was fantastic!”
He laughed lightly and tapped a finger beneath her chin. “I’ll take you riding anytime you ask.”
She didn’t respond to that. How could she, when her mind was still swirling with images of kissing him last night?
Thankfully, if he noticed her inelegance, Ryan didn’t mention it when he led her into the building.
It was nothing like she’d ever imagined and somehow cooler than she expected.
It was nothing fancy, but what she saw she surmised was really expensive.
From the couches to the curved bar, with a wall of liquor bottles.
Down at the other end was a built-in high-tech media wall.
A few guys were around a pool table, and a few more were sitting at the bar.
It felt like every set of eyes turned Lisa’s way, and she subconsciously inched closer to Ryan.
“This is Lisa,” he announced. “Be fucking nice to her or I’ll break your faces.”
Oh, God. Why did he have to announce her like that, as if she were someone important to mind their manners?
“Where is Scarlett?” she asked, covering up her embarrassment.
“Yo, probie, where is Scar?”
“She was going to the media room the last time I checked.”
“This way, sweetheart,” Ryan told her and rested a hand on the base of her spine, leading the way.
Sure enough, Scarlett and Kelly were in what looked like a home theater room. The girls were sitting with coffee and cake in front of them.
“Look who it is, with her very own escort.” said Kelly, grinning.
“Splice, did you see to Lisa’s car?” Asked Scarlett. Ah, so that’s how he knew to come to her house.
“Yeah, gonna work on it today. Need to order the windows, so it might take a few days to get back.” He directed it at Lisa.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. Just take your time if there are other cars to work on first.” She replied. “Let me know how much it’ll be.”
“I got it.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I got it,” he repeated, firmer this time.
Fine, she’d wait until he gave her the invoice. Her eyes dropped to his hand, and she remembered he’d told her last night he’d injured it. “Hey, did you get that stitched yet?”
He raised his hand with the makeshift band-aid across the side of his palm. “I will today.”
Lisa turned to Scarlett. “Is Lottie coming?”
“No, she’s on shift in the E.R. today.”
Hoping her friend could answer the phone, Lisa called Lottie, and after a few rings, she picked up.
“Lottie, Ryan, I mean, Splice, has a pretty nasty gash on his hand, and he’s holding his skin together with tape. If he comes to the E.R. now, can you look at him? He needs stitches.” Her friend answered, and Lisa nodded. “Thanks, lady. Splice will bring you a big latte.”
Silence filled Scarlett’s theater as she put her phone away, with all three staring. The girls grinned knowingly, as if Lisa had broken the law.
But it was the way Ryan had his head lowered to his neck, staring at her with those hot, dazzling eyes, that made Lisa’s belly flip over.
“Lottie will stitch it up for you,” she croaked. “Head to the hospital now before it becomes infected. Stop to get her a coffee.”
“Bash will kill me for buying his wife a gift.” He told her. Then he added before she could reply. “What’s my incentive?” he said. Lisa blinked up at him.
“You stop your hand from falling off with gangrene.”
He smirked and tapped the edge of her nose. “Okay. Enjoy your girls’ meeting. Will talk to you later.” He turned on his boots and Lisa, God help her eyeballs, but she watched every long stride he took until he disappeared from the room, only giving her lungs respite as she exhaled.
She had to face her friends then, and she braced for the firing squad.
“What the hell was that?” Kelly was first.
“Oof. The way he tapped your nose, I thought I was about to combust on the spot.” Scarlett was fanning her face. “Are you guys...?”
“No,” Lisa insisted, instantly seeing their kiss in her mind, feeling his mouth owning hers.